website/content/museum/roberts-paddle-iv.md

title, categories, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	origins	years	cpus	params
Roberts Paddle IV	Pongs	U.S.A.	1976	General Instruments AY-3-8500 ?	name company company_name specs tabs photos screenshots emulators links comments related oc_id source Paddle IV /companies/roberts Roberts label value NAME Paddle IV label value MANUFACTURER Roberts label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1976 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Tennis, Hockey, Squash, Squash practice label value KEYBOARD Two detachable paddles with dial and no fire button label value CPU General Instruments AY-3-8500 ? label value SPEED Manual serve, Reset label value CO-PROCESSOR Serve auto/manual, Speed normal/fast, Angle narrow/wide, Bat size large/small, Power on/off label value RAM On screen label value COLORS Black & white label value SOUND Built-in speaker label value I/O PORTS RF TV video output (or switch box) label value OS 6 x label value POWER SUPPLY 9v DC label value PERIPHERALS No photos software emulators links title subtitle text image PADDLE IV null title subtitle text image PADDLES DETACHED null title subtitle text image OPTION SWITCHES null title subtitle text image GAME SELECTOR null title subtitle text image BOX null title subtitle text image BOX - BACK SIDE null title subtitle text image BOX OPENED null title subtitle text image TENNIS There is one bat per side, a top and bottom boundary, and a center net. The individual scores are counted and displayed automatically. Considering the option where all bats and four angles are used, after the reset has been applied, the score will be 0-0 and the ball will serve arbitrarily to one side at one of the angles. If the ball hits the top or bottom boundary it will assume the angle of reflection and continue in play. The player beeing served must control his bat to intercept the ball. When a hit is detected by the logic circuit, the section of the bat which made the ball contact is used to determine the new angle of the ball. To expand on this, all bats are divided logically into four adjacent sections of equal length. When using the four angle option, it is the quarter section of the bat which actually hits and determine the new direction of the ball. The direction does not depend upon the previous angle of incidence. With the two angle option, top and bottom pairs of the bats are summed together and only the two shallower angles are used to program the new direction of the ball. The ball will be then sent back to the other player, bouncing on top and bottom noudaries as necessary until it reaches the other player. This action is repeated until one player misses the ball. The circuitry then detect a score and automatically increments the correct score counter and updates the score display. The ball will then serve automatically towards the side which has just missed. This sequence is repeated until a score of 15 is reached by one side, meaning the end of the game. The ball will still bounce arround but no further hits or scores can be made. While the game is in progress, 3 audio tones are generated by the system to indicate top and bottom reflections, bat hits and scores. /media/museum/software/gi_ay-3-8500_tennis.gif title subtitle text image FOOTBALL Also called soccer and hockey With this game each player has a keeper and a striker. The layout is such that the keeper is in his normal position and the striker is positioned in the opponent's half of the playing area. When the game starts, the ball will appear going from one goal line to the other side. If the oppoenent's striker can intercept the ball, it will shoot it back towards the keeper. If the ball is missed, it will go to the other half of the playing area. The first team's striker will have then the opportunity to intercept the ball and deviate it at a new angle according to the playing option used. If the ball is intercepted by the keepr or it bounced back by the end-field boundary, the same striker will have another opportunity to intercept the ball and send it back to the keeper. A score is made by shooting the ball through the defined goal area. The circuitry then detect a score and automatically increments the correct score counter and updates the score display. The ball will then serve automatically towards the side which has just missed. This sequence is repeated until a score of 15 is reached by one side, meaning the end of the game. The ball will still bounce arround but no further hits or scores can be made. While the game is in progress, 3 audio tones are generated by the system to indicate top and bottom reflections, bat hits and scores. /media/museum/software/gi_ay-3-8500_football.gif title subtitle text image SQUASH This is a two players games. Players alternately hit back the ball into the playfield. The right-hand player is the one that hit first, then it goes over to the other player. Each player is enabled alternately. /media/museum/software/gi_ay-3-8500_squash.gif title subtitle text image SQUASH PRACTICE This game is similar to Squash except that there is only one player. /media/museum/software/gi_ay-3-8500_squash-practice_ss.gif title url platform text www.pong-story.com http://www.pong-story.com/pcpong.htm Multiplatform Several pong emulators (simulators) presented here title url text Web Wiz CAPTCHA http://www.webwizcaptcha.com author date text Bill Mason (Canada) Sunday 18th December 2016 I have a Paddle iv game and would like to hook it up to my new TV is there instructions available. author date text MAK (Eastern Iowa) Thursday 1st September 2011 I have recently obtained a Roberts Super Color Video X and would emailed isntructions on how to hook it up.\ The system looks very similar to the Paddle IV system and the description sounds similar too.\ I would love to know it''s value or know someone who''s interested in it.\ Thanks.\ makhawks@yahoo.com author date text Jennifer M. Stinson (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) Tuesday 6th September 2005 I have a Paddle IV game. It is in mint condition, including the original box, original instruction manual, power cord and adapter, and tv connection switchbox. It has all the components needed to run on any tv. All you need to hook it up to any tv, including new tvs, is the switchbox, which will hook up through a VCR to your tv using a cable-tv cable. I am not interested in selling my unit, but I would be interested in knowing how much it is worth, for insurance purposes. Anyone who needs information on how these hookups work, feel free to e-mail me. I have scanned pictures of the original manual, and can take pictures of the switchbox. Enjoy your games everyone! author date text Nicole (Pittsburgh, PA) Tuesday 20th April 2004 I have a Paddle IV game and I just wondered what a collector would offer for it in case I did decide to sell it someday. It works, and it's in great condition, I just don't have an old TV to hook it up to. If you know anything, please drop me a line, LOL, there isn't a category for it on Ebay. author date text Edwin Bradley (Hamilton Ont) Saturday 5th April 2003 I have just found A Roberts IV paddle game but cant get it to work on my TV is there a way to test it to see if the actual game is broken? Do I need an old TV to play it. I also by accident tried a 12 volt adapter (it takes 9 volt) would this of fried it? Thanks for any help anyone can give us. /museum/a10-telespiel-9010 /museum/alex-video-spiel-tg-621 /museum/apf-match /museum/apf-tv-fun-model-401 /museum/audiosonic-pp-800 /museum/bentley-compu-vision /museum/blaupunkt-tv-action /museum/coleco-telstar-alpha-model-6030 /museum/conic-tv-sports-tg-621 /museum/conic-tvg-209 /museum/dms-telesports-mini /museum/grandstand-t-v-game-model-3000 /museum/hanimex-666 /museum/hanimex-7771 /museum/hanimex-t-338 /museum/intel-germany-super-tele-sport-d-688-36 /museum/interton-video-2400 /museum/jostykit-multi-tv-game-hf-344 /museum/magiclick-teleclick /museum/match-sd-01c /museum/mbo-tele-ball /museum/mbo-tele-ball-ii /museum/mbo-tele-ball-iii /museum/mentor-sport-tg-20 /museum/novoton-tj-141 /museum/novoton-video-sports /museum/playtech-telesport /museum/polistil-v-g-2 /museum/r-f-t-bss-01-bildschirmspiel-01 /museum/radofin-electronics-limited-tele-sports /museum/riva-t-800c /museum/roberts-rally-iv /museum/sands-3000 /museum/societe-occitane-d-electronique-oc-4 /museum/sonolor-telematch /museum/sportron-101u /museum/superlectron-tv-challenger-series-3000-tvc-3000 /museum/tele-flip-paris-video-sport-fy-707 /museum/thomson-jv1t /museum/ultrasound-tele-sports /museum/ultrasound-tv-9010 /museum/universum-tv-multi-spiel-handheld /museum/universum-tv-spiel-1004 722 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230614011044/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=722 2023-06-14

A classic pong from Roberts with four games (hence the name of the system) and detachables paddles. Apparently made in Japan.

The two paddles can be attached to each side of the system, or taken apart. There are only equiped with a unique dial. The general cosmetic design of the Paddle IV looks like the Commodore 64 one. Round edges and beige/creamy color. The games selection is made with a knob...

PROMOTIONAL CATCHERS:
- Featuring 4 games with detachable remotre control
- Automatic on screen scoring
- Simply attached to your black & white or color TV set

Jeff Skowron reports:
I owned this system. The games were pretty standard pong fare. For tennis, each player had a paddle and the object was to keep the ball from going behind the paddle. Hockey was the same, except the area behind the paddle that the ball could go through was restricted (i.e. representing the net. I also believe that in the hockey game, each player controlled two paddle, both on the same side of "center ice", but one more forward than the other and slightly offset from each other. As you might guess, in squash each player controlled a paddle on the same side of the screen and the object was to bounce the ball off the wall on the other side of the screen and get it past your opponent. Squash practice was the single player version with just one paddle. There were difficulty setting switches that made the ball or "puck" move faster, made paddles smaller, and, I think, altered the angles the ball took when it hit the paddles. If I recall correctly, the first toggle switch on the top row in the picture allowed you to choose automatic or manual serve (only applicable for squash practice?). In manual mode, you had to push one of the buttons on teh lower left of the console to serve the ball. On a side note, putting the power cord in your mouth gives a bit of a shock! (I think my cousin dared me to do it)